Family, Friends, and the Occasional Stargate
by Erin87
Summary: This will be a series of drabbles and short stories focusing on my version of the Stargate kids. Pairings: John/Elizabeth, Rodney/Jennifer, Daniel/Vala, Sam/Jack, Ronon/Amelia, Teyla/Kanaan. Please R&R!
1. Tree Climbing

A.N.1: Hello! Just some introduction here. :) This is going to be a series of drabbles and short stories focusing on my version of the second generation of the Stargate family, featuring both the kids themselves at various ages and their parents, and could be from both points of view. The stories most likely won't go in any particular order.

THE KIDS:

John and Elizabeth: Emily Lora Sheppard & Connor Evan James Sheppard

Rodney and Jennifer: Rachel Elizabeth McKay

Daniel and Vala: Thomas Finley Jackson & Sharon Elina Jackson (twins)

Ronon and Amelia: Max (we're not going to talk about how that sounds with his last name, but the name Max fits him so perfectly! I couldn't help it!)

Sam and Jack: Aaron Jacob O'Neill

Teyla and Kanaan: Torren John Emmagen (even though he is in no way my creation and I make no claim on him he still belongs on the list)

Okay, I can't think of anything else to add, so... enjoy! :)

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"Tree Climbing"

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"Emily, are you insane?!"

The youngest Sheppard stopped pacing and looked down at her friend. "Several people have been known to think so at times," she laughed. "And you're usually one of them."

Rachel frowned in annoyance and crossed her arms. "Well... that's because you are! Look, will you just come down?"

"Why? Worried?"

"No!" she said haughtily. "I just don't want to have to clean up the mess you'll make if you fall."

Emily smirked and rolled her eyes. "Well I'll try my hardest not to inconvenience you then." As if to further antagonize the other girl, she sat down on the relatively high tree branch she had been standing on, spun herself around and leaned back, hanging upside down by her knees. Her abundant mass of jet black curls fell below her head, swishing gently in circles as the fifteen year old grinned and gave a cheeky little wave to her audience.

"Show off," muttered Rachel, then, getting louder, " You know all the blood's going to rush to your head if you keep that up. You could burst an artery or something."

Emily sighed in exasperation and swung back and forth a few times, gaining enough momentum to pull herself upright. "That wouldn't happen, don't be ridiculous," she said, turning herself around to face Rachel again.

She just raised an eyebrow. "Uh, hello? Chief Medical Officer's daughter down here! I think that makes..."

For the second time within the space of five minutes, Emily rolled her eyes, a gesture she had perfected through the nearly constant practice that came with years of knowing Rachel McKay, and proceeded to smoothly climb down from the tree. "Hey, Rach..." she said, interrupting the tirade as she neared the bottom, "It's your mom that's the doctor..." She jumped the last three feet to the ground. "...not you. Just chill, okay?"

Rachel gave a small huff, annoyed. "I make no promises I don't think I'll be able to keep," she said, but she stopped her badgering. For the moment anyway.

Knowing that 'for the moment' was likely as good a she was going to get, Emily simply smiled by way of a peace offering, receiving a small and reluctant, but genuine, smile in return, and started walking down the nearly invisible path that led towards the Athosian settlement where they were visiting. "Come on. Dad's coming back soon to pick us up, and Torren's probably wondering where we are."

"He'll live," replied Rachel in amusement. "Anyway, it's just because he knows Aunt Teyla will murder him if he lets something happen to us." Emily laughed and they walked through the lush greenness of the woods in silence for a few minutes, listening to the rustle of the breeze in the trees and the scurry of small creatures in the undergrowth. Then... "You know you have leaves stuck in your hair don't you? It's going to take forever to get all those out..."

Emily rolled her eyes.

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A.N.2: Well, hope you enjoyed it. Please please review! I don't have a definite ending or plan for the length or direction of this story, so I'm open to scenarios or ideas for chapters, even though I'm not promising anything. Please review!


	2. Max

A.N.1: And here's another chapter! This one was inspired by a comment on the GateWorld forum. (Thanks Scary Kitty!) Enjoy!

(And if your name happens to be Maximilian then please know that no offense is intended! ;) )

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"Max"

Ronon paced. He walked from one side of the hallway to the other and then back again, swinging his arms impatiently, his eyes glued to the floor but not really seeing anything. He listened instead, his ears straining for the sound of the door opening and footsteps coming towards him.

Wall. Turn. Five steps. Wall. Turn. Again and again, over and over. Still no word. Wall. Turn. He couldn't take much more of this. He couldn't stand this waiting. Five steps. Wall. He had never been a very patient man. Turn. The need to do something tore at him, making him want to run or yell or punch someone. Yeah, especially punch someone. Three steps. He began clenching and unclenching his fists.

"Would you calm down already?!" Ronon stopped in the middle of the hall and turned to glare at Sheppard, who was sitting calmly in a chair with a magazine and a cup of coffee, watching him. "You're starting to make _me_ want to break something." Sheppard set his coffee on the floor. "I'm sure everything's going fine in there."

"Yeah, well, we'll see how calm you'll be two months from now when it's your turn." The dark haired pilot opened his mouth to reply, but at that moment the infirmary doors hissed open and Ronon instantly forgot about his friend. He rushed towards the emerging doctor. "Well? How...?"

Jennifer smiled happily at him, nodding. "It went well. They're both fine." Ronon let out a deep breath he'd barely realized he'd been holding, a relieved grin spreading across his face. Sheppard, who had gotten up from his chair when the doors opened, moved to stand beside him, grinning himself and clapping his friend on the shoulder.

"See? I told you things were okay!"

Still smiling, Jennifer held out an arm, gesturing them into the minutes ago forbidden infirmary. "Now why don't you come meet your son?"

Ronon half ran into the room, out of the corner of his eye seeing Sheppard give a sleeping McKay a kick in the leg to wake him up and tell him the news. He didn't give them more than a second's thought; there was no room in his head for anything at all but thoughts of what was waiting for him inside. He couldn't remember ever feeling more nervous in his life. But that nervousness faded as he drew nearer to the hospital bed where his wife was resting, propped up against a mountain of pillows.

Amelia heard his approach and looked up at him, smiling. She looked tired, exhausted even, her light brown hair damp with sweat, but her eyes were sparkling and in Ronon's eyes she had never looked happier or more beautiful.

"Hey there." She freed one hand from under the bundle in her arms and reached for him, beckoning him closer. "There's somebody I'd like you to meet."

He took her hand and allowed himself to be drawn to the edge of the bed, unable to take his eyes off of the pile of blankets she was holding. Amelia smiled at his anxiousness and gently pulled down a fold of the fabric, letting Ronon see the face of his son for the first time.

"He has your nose." And he did, along with an infinitely smaller matching version of his mouth. Ronon cautiously reached out and stroked his son's head, disturbing the soft wispy strands of dark brown hair that grew there. The baby stirred slightly in his sleep at the touch, but didn't wake. Ronon felt his emotions rise as he looked at the tiny thing- awe, fear, an incredible and overwhelming amount of love, and a deep, fierce protectiveness such as he had never felt before. He realized at that moment that there was nothing he wouldn't do, no battle he wouldn't fight if it meant keeping this child safe. His son...

"We still need a name," Amelia said, lightly bringing him back to the present.

"Yeah, I guess we do."

"I still like 'Max'. It's a nice in-between name- not too Earth based, not too Satedan. In the middle."

Ronon dragged his eyes away from the baby, considering. "Max Dex." He raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"

Amelia grinned. "Well, we can always call him Maximilian and use Max as a nickname."

The thought of what Sheppard would say if he named his kid Maximilian flashed through his mind and he couldn't stop himself from visibly cringing. He would never, _ever_ hear the end of it. Ever. And the boy was half Satedan too. His very heritage wouldn't allow him to have such a name.

The sound of Amelia's soft laughter cleared away the visions of horror playing in his head. "You should see the look on your face! Relax, I was joking! I wouldn't do that to you."

"Thanks." Ronon smiled, leaned down, and kissed his wife on the forehead. "We'll name him anything you like. Anything but that."

She smiled again and looked down at the baby, running her finger across one of his smooth cheeks. Her face lit up with a happy contented glow as he woke up for a few seconds, revealing eyes that were the same shade of chocolate brown as her own. "Max it is then."

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A.N.2: Hope you liked it! Please please _please_ review!


	3. Guitar Lessons

A.N.1: Hello! I suppose this could be it's own stand alone story, but I decided to put it as another chapter in _this_ story instead. Hope you enjoy!

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**Guitar Lessons**

Elizabeth Sheppard walked up to the door of her quarters and waved her hand casually in front of the door panel, gathering her brown curls into a high ponytail as she entered the room. It was late afternoon, and the large and comfortably decorated living room was bathed in a warm golden light that poured in from the panel of windows that took up most of the wall opposite the door. She moved towards the couch and was about to sink down into the nest of colorful Athosian throw pillows when she first noticed the sounds coming from the balcony. Floating through the open doorway was the low murmur of familiar voices and the intermittent twang of guitar strings. Elizabeth finished twisting the hair elastic around her ponytail and it snapped into place with a small thwack as she lowered her arms and stepped over to the balcony entrance. She folded her arms across her chest, leaned against the door frame, and smiled.

They were sitting side by side on the bench that stood in front of the windows - one tall and dark haired, the other considerably shorter and with hair the same shade of chestnut brown as Elizabeth's - guitars in hand. They hadn't noticed her yet, so she was free to simply observe the two men in her life as they spent some quality father-son time together. John adjusted the guitar in his arms and played a small portion of what sounded suspiciously like 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star', all the while giving the boy next to him instructions on what to do. He finished his explanation. "Kay buddy, you give it another try."

Connor carefully placed his fingers on the strings of his child-sized guitar and slowly plucked a few notes from the instrument. Elizabeth felt pride grow within her as the eight year old managed to pick his way through the first three bars of the song without a mistake. He hadn't had the guitar for very long – only two weeks. John had bought it for his birthday during a required trip to Earth, after six months of begging that he be allowed to play his father's old one. Even though John had made a show of being annoyed at the pleading, Elizabeth knew that her husband had secretly been extremely pleased that he would have something new to teach his son, and had been determined from the very first 'come on, pleeeaaase, Dad!' to get the boy a guitar of his own.

The halting performance came to an abrupt stop as one of the notes went sour. Elizabeth couldn't see his face, but she could easily picture the annoyed frown she knew Connor was sporting right now. He gave a small frustrated growl and strummed the strings angrily, a discordant hum filling the air. "It's always in that same spot!" he complained.

"It's okay," encouraged John. "Look, you're moving your fingers down too early. Don't do this." He demonstrated Connor's mistake on his own guitar. "Do this." He played the sequence correctly. "Try it again."

She heard Connor take a deep breath, and then he began again from the beginning. John watched him intently, biting his lower lip nervously as the boy neared the point in the song where he had messed up before. Elizabeth found herself holding her breath anxiously as she waited for the note to fall. He played it perfectly, pausing for only a moment to beam up at his father before finishing out the song without a single error. "Alright, buddy!" cheered John proudly, clapping him on the back.

There was that pride again. Elizabeth couldn't contain herself anymore and she burst into applause. "Bravo!"

Connor spun around on the bench in surprise, his face lighting up when he saw her. "Mom, I did it!"

"I know!" She moved over to the bench and knelt down beside him, wrapping her arms around his small frame and giving him a hug. "You did great!" she said, planting a kiss on his cheek.

He laughed and squirmed. "Eww, Mom!"

Elizabeth laughed and let go of him, looking up to meet John's eyes with a grin. He was watching them both with a ridiculously happy expression on his face.

"Can I go tell Max?" Connor asked eagerly.

She smiled at him and glanced at John again with a raised eyebrow. "You'll have to ask your teacher."

John smirked and ruffled his son's wild and wavy hair. "Yeah, go ahead." Connor hopped off the bench and ran inside their quarters. "But put the guitar up in your room first!" he called after him. The main door opened and closed with a hiss that was just barely audible out on the balcony, signaling that Connor hadn't heard, or, as eight year old boys often do, had chosen to ignore him. John just shook his head, the smirk still evident on his face.

Elizabeth stood up and placed a hand on her right hip, bringing the other arm behind her back to grip her right wrist. "A whole song in two weeks," she grinned. "I'm impressed."

Her husband grinned back at her. "Yeah, I'll have him doing 'Ring of Fire' by tomorrow."

She laughed. "Right. Sure you will."

He held his arms out in a gesture of innocence and put on a tone of fake indignation. "Hey, I'll have you know I happen to be an excellent teacher."

"I never said you weren't."

"Uh-huh," he said in mock disbelief, holding out his hand to her. "C'mere, I'll prove it. I'll give you a lesson." Elizabeth smiled and took the offered hand, allowing him to tug her down beside him on the bench. The Ancient piece of furniture was wide, and left enough room for her to pull her feet up and cross her legs Indian style. John placed the guitar in her lap. He'd had it forever - ever since the second year of the Atlantis expedition's occupation of the city – but the fret board showed only the smallest hints of wear around the edges, and there was only one spot on the body itself where the paint had worn away, revealing the honey colored wood beneath.

John inched closer to her and reached over her shoulder to take each one of her hands in his, slowly positioning them in the right places on the guitar, shifting her right arm so she was holding it correctly, and then gently guiding the fingers of her left hand to wrap around the neck. Elizabeth already knew how to hold a guitar, and knew that he knew that she did, but she let him show her how anyway. His warmth seeped through his thin t-shirt and spread wonderfully across her back and shoulders as he kept his arms around her. She leaned back against him.

"Now," he muttered in her ear, "we start with the chords." His strong hands wrapped around hers as he led her fingers over the guitar strings, filling the balcony with the softly thrumming pattern. Elizabeth was only half aware of the sound she was getting the guitar to create. John's face was right next to hers as he peered over her shoulder; his near perpetual stubble scratched against her ear, and she could feel his warm breath on her skin.

They finished the sequence of notes, and John freed her hands. "See? You're a natural."

Elizabeth laughed softly and twisted around in his arms to face him. His painfully handsome features were cast with a warm glow from the sun that was just short of setting, lighting up the eastern sky in front of him with gold and orange. "Well, I had a good teacher."

He smirked and reached up to brush away a stray strand of hair that had escaped her ponytail earlier, securing it behind her ear. He let go of the curl and slid his hand lower to cup the side of her face, green eyes staring into hers. She felt her heart skip a beat. How was it that this man, after nine years of marriage and two children, could still turn her into jelly with just one look? John smiled again and pulled her in for a kiss, one that was long and slow and sweet. He sighed contentedly when they broke apart. "You know how much I love you, right?"

She smiled. "Yeah." She paused as she read that emotion filling his eyes. "Yeah, I know."

"Good." He took the guitar out of her lap and leaned it carefully against the the side of the bench, then they adjusted themselves so that they were sitting side by side, Elizabeth leaning against John with her legs tucked up under her, snug and secure in his embrace as they watched the sunset together.

The sun had yet to sink beneath the horizon when the blissful quiet was shattered by the sound of a door opening and the loud voices of children arguing as they entered the living room. Elizabeth sighed. "Emily's home." The arguing grew louder.

"... come on, it's completely dumb...! " said a voice that didn't belong to their six year old daughter.

"Sounds like she brought Rachel with her," said John calmly.

The same voice echoed from the living room. "... it's totally impossible to live in a house made out of gingerbread...!"

"And they've been getting into the fairy tales again..." Elizabeth realized with a groan.

"This might take a while."

She sighed again and lifted her head from its comfortable place on his shoulder. "I guess the lesson's over then."

"I guess so."

She looked at him and gave him a quick kiss. "Come on," she said, taking his hand and lacing their fingers together. "Let's get in there before they start a war."

He smiled teasingly at her. "Well if it's war prevention we're talking about, then I can't think of anyone better for a job like that."

Elizabeth just smiled back and jabbed him in the arm. John laughed and they walked into the noise and homey chaos of their quarters. For a minute the balcony was still, the last rays of sunlight reflecting off the windows and bathing the now empty bench with deep golden light. Suddenly the door that led inside opened again and John walked back out, circling around to the other end of the seat near where he had been sitting. He bent and picked up his guitar, turning it around once in his hands, a small smile crossing his face as he looked down at it. Then he turned around and walked back inside, strumming a chord or two as he went.

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A.N.2: Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it, and if you did, tell me so! Please please review!


	4. Road Trip

A.N.1: This was the result of a drabble prompt on the Gateworld Sparky thread. I didn't quite make the limit, but oh well. :) The prompt was 'Are we there yet?' Enjoy this bit of Sparky family fluff.

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Road Trip

"Are we there yet?" complained a small voice from the back-seat. John Sheppard, at the wheel of the car, sighed.

"No, Em, not yet."

John shared a look with his wife. Elizabeth gave him a sympathetic smile. Minutes passed as traffic blew by. Then…

"How about an estimate?" piped the eight year old.

John gave a laugh that was half groan, and raised his eyes to the ceiling in exasperation. "Emily!"

"Okay, okay!" Quiet again.

"I think gate travel has spoiled her," commented Elizabeth, grinning.

"But you know, this still isn't as bad as a jumper full of scientists." She laughed.

Five minutes later: "What about now?" whined Emily. Then again, thought John, maybe it was.

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A.N.2: Thanks for reading, hope you liked, and please review! :)


	5. Boys and Their Toys

A.N.1: Another ficlet inspired by a Gateworld prompt. This one was, obviously enough, 'boys and their toys.' Enjoy!

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Boys and Their Toys

Elizabeth and her daughter walked along the hallway towards their quarters, intending to swing by and pick up the boys for dinner in the mess hall. "I hope they have turkey tonight," said Emily, "I'm starving." Elizabeth smiled at the seven year old, whose culinary tastes closely resembled her father's.

"Yeah, me too." They reached their set of rooms and entered, but stopped just inside the doorway when they saw what was going on. The couch and pair of armchairs had all been pushed to one side of the room, and John, Connor, and Rodney were all sitting in the cleared space on the floor, remote controls in their hands, racing miniature cars around a toy track.

"C'mon, go, go, go!" Rodney urged, his eyes fixed on the blue car speeding around the circular track. Connor was likewise captivated by the green one; he was biting his bottom lip as he concentrated, his index finger mashing the gas button on the controller so hard his knuckles had turned white. John was the most laid back of the three, lying propped up on one elbow as he sent the red car flying around the track with the ease that came of long practice.

Elizabeth folded her arms across her chest and leaned back against the doorframe, watching them with an amused smile on her face, all the while plotting exactly how they would be made to put her living room back in order when they were done. Emily stood next to her, her hands on her hips as she observed the race.

"Hurry up! Gooo!" pleaded Connor, bouncing anxiously on his heels, his wild brown hair springing up and down with the motion. "Woohoo, yeah!" he cried, throwing his arms up in the air in celebration.

"Aww, come on, not again!" Rodney complained. "That's the fifth time he's won already!"

John flashed him a smug grin. "Hey, you can't argue with talent, Rodney."

The Canadian shot him a dirty look. "Alright then, fine, let's go again. Just you and me this time."

"If you think it'll make a difference…"

As Connor crowed with excitement and the two grown-ups started setting up the track for another race, Emily turned to look at her mother, her small brow furrowed in confusion. "Hey Mom, aren't Daddy and Uncle Rodney too old to play with toys like that?"

Elizabeth smiled fondly at her daughter. She'd often thought the same thing, but had long ago learned to accept the fact that at heart her husband was perpetually an exuberant twelve year old. It was just one of the many many things she loved about him. "Technically, sweetheart." Another moan from Rodney as he lost yet another race, and John's laughter filled the room. "But when you get older you'll find that a lot of the time it can become very difficult to separate the boys from their toys."

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A.N.2: Thanks for reading, and reviews would be much appreciated! :)


	6. The Right Thing

A.N: Hey all! *waves* This is a little different from most of the other chapters of this story, since it's mostly focusing on John and Liz and the kids don't actually appear, though they are the main topic of discussion. I had the idea for this little scene several years ago and finally got around to writing it. It's one of those little practical bits of life in another galaxy that I find interesting and feel should be addressed. The necklace Elizabeth wears is a reference to my first ever fic – It's Good to Be Home. Well... enjoy! :)

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"Hey, there you are." John stepped out onto the balcony that adjoined the living room and stood next to his wife. It was a beautiful night. The stars were a splash of shimmering silver against a velvety black sky and the moon gilded the waves that crashed against the piers far below.

Elizabeth turned to look at him and smiled softly. "Hey." He held out one of the glasses of wine he was holding. She gave an appreciative hum and her smile widened as she took it. "Thanks." She took a sip. "All the troops bedded down for the night?"

He flicked her a lazy salute with his how free hand. "Barracks are secure and sleeping has commenced."

She smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Any casualties?"

"None to report," he declared, then seemed to think better of it. "Although one of Em's bears might never be the same again..."

She laughed and the mock serious look on his face crumpled as he smirked back at her.

"So long as it's not too serious," Elizabeth said. "I'd hate to have to tell Jennifer she made another emergency house-call over a stuffed animal."

John winced at the memory, even though he couldn't keep the grin off his face. "You know, I still don't think she's forgiven us for that one." One night Keller had shown up at their door in the wee hours of the morning, summoned by an urgent radio message from his four-year-old daughter. The look on the doctor's face when Emily had presented the ripped panda for inspection was one that John wouldn't soon forget.

"I can't say that I blame her," said Elizabeth, a smile playing around her lips as well.

"Hey, it shows we're raising a pair of kind and compassionate kids," John replied with a teasing raise of his eyebrows. "She ought to be proud of us."

Elizabeth only rolled her eyes and didn't dignify him with a response. Still smiling, she turned back to the view, resting her elbows on the balcony railing with her glass cupped between her hands. John mimicked her position and the two of them stood in contented silence for a while, drinking their wine and watching the waves shimmer with moonlight as the wind tousled their hair.

When his cup was half empty, John glanced over at Elizabeth. She was staring out over the gold flecked towers of the city, but the sight didn't seem to be comforting her like it usually did. Her green eyes had taken on a troubled look, the familiar worry line present between her eyebrows.

"Hey..." he said softly, drawing her gaze. "You okay?"

Her expression lightened somewhat, the corners of her mouth twitching upwards in a brief half smile. "Yeah. Just thinking."

John waited, watching the familiar wheels turning behind the jade green eyes he loved – giving her space to speak in her own time but ready to push her if it looked like she would clam up.

Elizabeth's gaze wandered across the toys scattered along the balcony floor and she finally spoke. "John, are we being selfish, staying here?"

This question was so completely out of left field that it took John a minute to process. "Where? Here? Atlantis?"

She nodded, mouth and eyebrows quirking in sympathy at his confused expression. "I know, it's a strange question." She turned away from the balcony to face him completely. "It's just a feeling I've been having lately. You know, the other day Connor asked me what an amusement park was? He'd seen it mentioned in a book and didn't know what it meant."

" 'Lizabeth, he's only six. Our kids are smart but they're not gonna automatically know everything."

"I know, it's just... I can't help but wonder what else they're going to miss out on. If we were on Earth, Connor's old enough to be in school, with other kids..." She held up her hand when John opened his mouth. "And I know, they're not the only ones here, plus they interact with the Athosian children. That's not the point. Our children are going to grow up completely disconnected from their entire culture."

"So we're selfish for depriving them of elementary school?"

Elizabeth glanced down at her wine glass and set it on the balcony railing, clearly thinking as she watched the light bounce off the ripples in the liquid. She took a deep breath, as if to steady herself, then looked up again. "We're selfish for choosing the city over their future."

"What?

"We chose to stay here, in another galaxy, in a place we love, but do we have the right to dictate their entire future like that? To cut them off from everything that made us who we are?"

"So they'll miss out on some pop culture references. Big deal." She frowned and gave him a look that begged him to take this seriously. "No, look, I get it..." he tried again. "Nobody's ever had to deal with a something like this before. 'How to Raise Kids in Another Galaxy' wasn't exactly mentioned in the SGC handbook."

"No, it certainly wasn't," Elizabeth replied, glancing down at her hands. She was silent for a moment, then lifted her eyes to John again. "Everything's fine for now," she admitted. "They'll have some of the brightest minds in two galaxies to teach them and they'll probably understand this place much better than we ever could." She smiled at the thought, but the expression quickly faded, eyebrows lowering. "But what's going to happen when they grow up, John? Can we expect them to be content staying and working here? Could they even function in college having grown up in an entirely different galaxy?"

The thought of Connor and Emily old enough to be in college made John's head spin and, feeling slightly ill, he quickly tried to push the idea away. "Hey hey, aren't we getting a little ahead of ourselves, here?" He set his wine glass on the railing next to hers. "So they're gonna miss out on some stuff. So they won't fit in exactly. Look at what they're getting instead." He waved his arm at the city that glittered above and below them.

The anxious look faded somewhat as her eyes followed his gesture, a far off look and a half smile moving in to replace it. "A chance to grow up in the City of the Ancients," she said quietly, lacing a dramatic tone into her voice.

"And wanna talk about being out of the loop? Elizabeth, we've been here ten years. Hell, it's been so long since we've lived on Earth for more than a few weeks a year that we wouldn't be any better off than Connor and Emily."

Elizabeth gave an amused 'hmm;' her expression was lighter at his words, but doubt still lingered in her eyes. John's stomach gave an uncomfortable lurch. She was really serious about this. It wasn't that he didn't see her point – he did, really. And maybe she was right, but... whenever he'd thought about Connor and Em's future, it was always Atlantis that formed the setting. He'd accepted it as fact that he and his family were going to stay there forever, and he found it difficult to imagine life any other way now. He hadn't thought of Earth as home in so long that the thought of living there permanently again seemed alien. Even so...

"Look, is this really what you want to do? Because if-"

"No, of course it isn't!" Elizabeth sighed. "But that's exactly my point. It's not about me or you anymore. What we may or may not want doesn't matter."

The distress that wreathed her face at the very idea of leaving decided him. "Alright, so maybe we are being selfish," he said, stepping closer, "but that doesn't mean we aren't doing the right thing for the kids." He wrapped his arms around his wife's waist, pulling her nearer. "Besides," he said softly, "you and I both know we can't leave."

He reached and lifted up the pendant of the silver necklace she always wore, that he had given her so long ago. The silhouette of the Atlantis skyline etched on one side, and written in Ancient on the other, the word 'home.'

"Figured that one out a long time ago," he murmured, meeting her eyes.

Elizabeth opened her mouth to speak but closed it again, her eyes swimming with emotion. "I love you," she said simply. John ran his fingers along the front of her hair, pushing the brown strands behind her ear. Somehow he never got over the thrill of amazement every time he heard her say that.

He smiled – "Love you too, 'Lizabeth" – and kissed her. She smiled in return and snuggled closer, resting her head against his chest.

She gave a tiny laugh. "This place... You know, I think I was a lost cause the minute I stepped through that gate and those lights started to come on."

"You weren't the only one," he muttered softly into her hair. Of course, she heard him and he felt her smile through the thin fabric of his shirt.

"This city – the reasons we're here – it's still all so much bigger than we are," Elizabeth said thoughtfully. "Maybe we don't have the right to take the kids away from all of this either. To take away the opportunity before they're even old enough to know that it exists."

Relieved, John thought a moment, then said slowly: "I think our kids deserve the chance to love this place as much as we do. And as for when they grow up... well, we'll storm that bridge when we come to it."

Elizabeth lifted her head and raised an eyebrow at him in confused amusement.

"What? I told you! We've been living here too long."

A grin spread across her face and she laughed, her forehead falling against his shoulder. He chuckled along with her; he always loved it when he could make her laugh. It had been a rare enough sound during their first few years in Atlantis, and even now, after so many years, that sense of accomplishment when he could draw it out still lingered.

"Alright!" she said a minute later as the laughter faded. "You win."

"Hmm, I kinda like the sound of that," he smirked, waggling his eyebrows at her. "Do I get a prize?"

She smiled and playfully narrowed her eyes at him, then proceeded to act like he hadn't said anything.

"It seems, Colonel, that we're going to be stuck here forever." She wound her arms around his neck. "Happy now?"

"Perfectly, Doctor." He smiled and moved in for another kiss. "Perfectly."

* * *

A.N.2: Hope you enjoyed! Thanks so much for reading! Comments are vastly appreciated! Cheers! :)


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